Pneumatic-despatch-tube apparatus.



. E. A. PORDYCE.

PNEUMATIC DESPATCH TUBE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 23, 1906. 'RENEWBD MAB..13, 1908.

1 76,969, Patented Oct. 28, 1913.

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PNEUMATIC DESPATGH TUBE APPARATUS.

APPLIQATION FILED APILZB, 1906. EENEWED MAR. 13, 1908.

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coLUMInA PLANOGRAPH CO.,WASHINUTON. D. c.

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EDMOND A. FORZDYCE, 0F BOSTQN, MASSACHUSETT3, ASSIG-NOR TO THE LAMSONCOMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PNEUMATIC-DESPATGILTUBE APPAKATUEL To all whom it may concern Be itknown that I, EDMOND A. FoRDYcn, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk andState of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Pneuinatic-Despatch-Tube Apparatus of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in power control for pneumaticdespatch tube apparatus and its object is to maintain a vacuum in thetransit tubes only during the period of transmission of a carrierthrough said tubes; also to insure the positive delivery of a carrier atits destination in extremely long lines without increasing the size ofthe piston and cylinder controlling mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a construction embodyingmy invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus showing theseveral controlling connections. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of thetransit tube and switch showing the trip projecting into said tube inthe path of the carriers. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of Fig. 2. Fig. 4is a top view showing the inlet valve in connection with the switch.Fig. 5 is a side elevation of Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of thesuction drum and controlling mechanism in section.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts throughout the severalviews.

The transit tube A for the transmission of carriers has at one end abell-mouth opening A. to receive carriers. The opposite end of saidtransit tube A is connected with the upward discharge terminal A havinga valve A closing the despatch opening and of the usual construction inthe art. Connected with said terminal A is a transit tube B forreturning carriers; this tube 13 is provided at its upper end with acarrierinlet opening closed by the pivoted valve 3 of usualconstruction. The lower or discharge end of said transit tube B isclosed by the ordinary type of valve B Connected with the lower end ofsaid tube by the joint B is a suction tube C the lower end of whichconnects with the upper chamber D of the casing D (see Fig. 6). Thelower chamber D of said casing D is in eomn1unication by means of thepipe E with the suction drum E. The valve F, connected with the piston Gby the stem G and operated by said piston, controls comniunicafiSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 23, 1906, Serial No. 313,134. Renewed March 13,1903.

Patented (Tet. 2d, 1913.

Serial No. 420,804.

tion between said chambers D and D The cylinder I-l located in the lowerpart of said casing D, and in which said piston G opcrates communicateswith the lower chamber D by the port H and at the opposite end is apassage H normally closed to the atmosphere by the valve J. Connectingsaid passage H with the lower chamber D is a smaller passage Hcontrolled and gracinated by the needle valve K and held in position bythe check nut K.

Mounted upon an extension of the casing D and in position to operate thevalve J is the magnet L; from the magnet L extend the wires M and Mthrough which wires, when the circuit is closed by one of the switchesalong the system, the battery N will energize the magnet L and cause theoperation hereinafter described.

Mounted at suitable intervals along the transit tubes A. and B areswitches P (Figs. 1 and 2). The switches P consist of the casing Pencircling the transit tube and carrying pivoted therein the shaft P towhich shaft is attached the finger or trip P projecting into the transittube. On the opposite end of the shaft P is mounted the fiber disk Pfixed thereon by the pin P. The contacts P are mounted on the inner faceof said disk P and are fastened to metal strip P by screws P Thesecontacts P are adapted upon oscillation of the shaft P to contact withthe metal spring strips P which are separated by insulating disk P andconnected with wires S S". The spring P is adapted to hold the switch inopen or normal position as shown in Fig. 3. A similar switch R isoperated by the inlet valve B (Figs. 4L- and 5). In place of a tripthe-valve door is pinned to the shaft P and the opening of the valvecloses the circuit. The switch It is connected at the bell-month openingA with the main wires M M by the wires 8 S. The switch R at the inlet Bis connected directly with the main wires M M.

The operation is as follows: if a carrier is to be despatched from thecentral station to a substation, the carrier is inserted into the bellmouth opening A (Fig. 1) the carrier striking the trip in said bellmouth open ing operates the switch R thercby'closing the circuit andenergizing the magnet L. This causes the valve J to be drawn baclropening the passage H to the atmosphere.

open so that air is drawn from the atmosphere at the bell mouth Athrough the chamber D, thence through the chamber D and suction tube Einto the suction drum E. The carrier is drawn into the tube A V and uponpassingthetrip at the s-witchR said-trip resumes its normalpositionthereby breaking the circuitwith the magnet L,

releasing the valve J and closing the passage: H tothe atmosphere. Theair beneath the piston G'isgradually drawnthrough the passage H andvalveK into the chamber D ,the piston=G gradually dropping of its ownweight until-the pressure onboth sides of the-piston 1s equallzed andthe valve F closes. If the transit tube A is extremely long this closingplace before the carrier has delivered, in which event the saidcarrierill operate the trips P of the switches Pthereby closing thecircuitandenergizing the magnet L, causing the operation to be repeateduntilthe carrier is discharged through the valve A at'the terminal Asiredto return acarrier to a central station, the valve B is opened andthe carrier inserted into the tube B. The opening'ot' the valve Bclosesthe circuit and energizing the mag: et L causes the operation ashereinbei 'ore described. The valve is now closed, the circuit broken,and the carrier drawn throughthe transit tube 13 discharges through thevalve 13 on to the receiving shelf 13'. In themeantime, the operating ofthe switches P in said tube B insures the delivery of the carrier bysuccessively retiming the mechanism which controlscommunication betweenthe transit-tube and-the air-exhausting means.

l laving thus described the nature of my invention and set forth aconstruction embodyingthe same, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United'States is:

1. In a pneumatic despatch tube system, a transit tube for thetransmission of car riers, an air-exhaust pipe communicating with thetransit tube, a normally closed valve controlling the communicationbetween the air-exhaust pipe and the transit tube, electrically actuatedmeans for moving the valve to open the communication between theair-exhaust pipe and the transit tube, a source of electricity,anelectric circuit extendingalong-the transit tube and includingthesource of electricity and the electrically actuated means for moving thevalve, a series of normally open-switches in terposed in the electriccircuit, and a series of carrier-actuated mechanisms projecting ofthevalve F may take If it is de-' into the path of travel of thecarriers through.thetransittube.with each .of said mechanismsconnected-with a switch 1n the electric circuitso that a carrier passingthrough the tubeasndoperating through said .lIlQC-llflIllSlIlS willsuccessively close switches to energize at intervals the electrisaidcally actuated means to open the valve controlling the communicationbetween the air eXliaust pipe and the transit tube.

2. In pneumatic despatch tube-systems, a transit 'tube for thetransmission a of carriers, an --air-exhaust pipe communicating with thetransit tube, a casinginterposedin the conmiunication between i the airexhaust pipe and the transit tube, an aperturedpartition dividing thecasing into-two communicating chambers'with-one chamber communicatingwith the transit pipe and the other chamber communicating with theairexhaust pipe, a cylinder-provided with a port at-its upperend-communicating"with the chamber in communication with theaireXhaust-pipeand said cy'dinder'having at its lower-end portleading'to 'the outside air and said cylinder also providedwitha-passage leading from its lower end to the chamber communicating withthe air-exhaustpipe, a valve normally closing the port at the lower endofthe cylinder, a valve normally closingthe aperture in the partitionbetween the chamber'in thecasing, apiston in the cylinder connected withthe valve con trolling the aperture in the partition, an electric magnetwhen energized operating to open the valve controlling the port atthelower end of the cylinder to admit air to the cylinder to raise thepiston to open the valve controlling the aperture in the partition toestablish communication between the two chambers, an-electric circuitincluding the magnet extending along the transit tube, a sourceot'electricity in'said circuit, a normally openswitch in said circuit,and carrier-actuated mechanism projecting into the path of-travelof tbecarriers through the transit tube so *that a passing carrier operatingthrough said mechanism will close the switch to energize the electricmagnet.

In pneumatic despatch tube systems, a transit tube for the'transmissionof carriers, an air-exhaust pipe communicating with the transit tube,acasing interposed in the communication between the aire-Xhaust pipe andthe transit tube, an apertured partition dividing the easing into twocommunicating chambers with one chamber communicating with the transitpipe and the other chamber communicating with the air-eXhaust pipe, acylinder provided with a port at its upper end communicating with thechamber in communication with the air-exhaust pipe and said cylinderhaving at its lower end a port leading to the outside air and saidcylinder also provided with a passage leading from its lower end to thechamber communicating with the air-exhaust pipe, a valve normallyclosing the port at the lower end of the cylinder, a valve normallyclosing the aperture in the partition between the chamber in the casing,a piston in the cylinder connected with the valve controlling theaperture in the partition, an electric magnet when energized operatingto open the valve controlling the port at the lower end of the cylinderto admit air to the cylinder to raise the piston to open the valvecontrolling the aperture in the partition to establish com municationbetween the two chambers, an electric circuit including the magnetextending along the transit tube, a source of electricity in saidcircuit, a series of normally open switches interposed in the electriccircuit, and a series of carrieractuated mechanisms projecting into thepath of travel of the carriers through the transit tube with each ofsaid mechanisms connected with a switch in the electric circuit so thata passing carrier operating through said mechanisms will successivelyclose the switches to energize the magnet at intervals during thepassage of the carrier.

4. In a pneumatic despatch tube system, the combination of a transittube, air exhausting means connected with said transit tube forefiecting the transmission of carriers through the latter, mechanismnormally operative to allow a carrier transmitting flow of air throughsaid tube for a substantially determined interval of time and toautomatically limit such flow of air to said time, after being initiallyactuated, and means actuated by a carrier in transit for re-timing saidmechanism.

5. In a pneumatic despatch tube system, the combination ofatransit tube,air eXhausting means connected with said transit tube for effecting thetransmission of carriers through the latter, mechanism normallyoperative to allow a carrier transmitting flow of air through said tubefor a substantially determined interval of time and to automaticallylimit such flow of air to said time, after being initially actuated, andmeans actuated by a carrier in transit for re-timing' said mechanism,said system having provisions for continuously admitting a substantiallyequable flow of air into said tube behind said carrier while the latteris in transit.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this thirteenth day of April, A.D. 1906.

EDMOND A. FORDYCE.

Witnesses:

H. D. WATnnnousn, H. R. DUNBAR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

